Lernerville Speedway
June 15, 2012
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The Juice gets loose while Chub, Pegher and Miley battle for second at Lernerville

Sarver, PA (June 15, 2012) Rob Cochran, Jack Crowell and the fine folks from #1 Cochran Automotive were on hand again for Holiday Races with Fireworks on #1 Cochran Fan Appreciation Night.  With fireworks in the sky and on the track, the finest race fans in the world were treated to an amazing night of entertainment at The Action Track with perfect weather conditions as the back drop!

Feature action started with “The Juice” Davey Johnson leading another talent laden field of Precise Racing Products DIRTcar Late Models to the green flag.  Johnson out-dragged Brian Swartzlander (in the Detman #111) into turn one to take the quick lead and Jared Miley dove under Swartzlander for second.   Mike Pegher Jr. took the wheel of Lynn Geisler’s legendary #1 Cochran Late Model and quickly joined the lead battle as did World of Outlaws star Chub Frank; resulting in an amazing statistical anomaly of having four #1’s running in the top four positions on the track.  Better yet, on lap 11, the top five on the scoreboard showed as 1, 1, 1, 1 and 111. The only thing that could have made it more of an anomaly would for it to have occurred at 11:11PM; in which case the scoreboard might have blown up and initiated the fireworks show!

Despite the spectacular battle behind him for second between Miley, Pegher and Frank, the only thing that truly kept “The Juice” in check was a couple mid-race cautions. Under green flag conditions, Johnson drove away for the talented trio battling behind and when the checkered flag waved, it was Johnson scoring a wire-to-wire feature win in which he was never seriously challenged; his ninth career win at The Action Track.
 
Chub Frank outlasted a fierce battle with Mike Pegher Jr. that lasted the whole to the checkered flag, while Jared Miley crossed the stripe fourth right behind them.  Miley’s eighth top five finish in eight races sustained his “more than a night’s worth of points” lead in the Budweiser Point Standings, meaning the he is the first driver officially locked into the 6th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com A-Main on Saturday, June 30!

Brian Swartzlander surrendered an almost certain top five finish when he broke on lap 22 and rolled pitside.  With Swartzlander out of the mix, Doug Eck rounded out the Precise Top Five ahead of Mike Johnson, Garrett Krummert, Coleby Frye, Clate Copeman and Boom Briggs.  Frye and Copeman were making their 2012 Action Track debuts, in all likelihood in preparation for the aforementioned Firecracker 100!

Heat races were checkered by Brian Swartzlander, Garrett Krummert and Davey Johnson. Last week’s feature winner Alex Ferree won the B-Main but was scored last in the feature after heavy contact with John Garvin Jr. on lap seven; recall that Ferree passed Garvin late in the race last week to score the win. What a difference a week makes!

Precise Racing Products DIRTcar Late Models Feature (25 Laps)

1. (1J) Davey Johnson, Latrobe
2. (1*) Chub Frank, Bear Lake
3. (1C) Mike Pegher Jr, Wexford
4. (H1) Jared Miley, South Park
5. (03) Doug Eck, Corry
6. (2J) Mike Johnson, Imperial
7. (29K) Garrett Krummert, Butler
8. (F1) Colby Frye, Dover
9. (28C) Clate Copeman, Greensburg
10. (99B) Boom Briggs, Bear Lake
11. (31) Bryan Force, Indiana
12. (3) Dan Swartzlander, Freeport
13. (55) Chris Schneider, Springdale
14. (66) Todd Bachman, Natrona Heights
15. (88) Chuck Sarver, West Sunburry
16. (23) Tony Burke, Sarver
17. (7X) Herman Bertolini, Creighton
18. (111) Brain Swartzlander, Leechburg
19. (J4) John Garvin Jr., Sarver
20. (10) Alex Ferree, Saxonburg

Heat Race Winners: Brian Swartzlander, Garrett Krummert, Davey Johnson
B-Main Winner: Alex Ferree